Postal vote system needs overhauling: William Mitting and Simon Nias investigate how the system can become a credible election tool

摘要

If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, it may also be littered with postal votes. Conceived to encourage voters to have their say and initially hailed as a success for democracy, postal votes have so far proved anything but. In 2004, postal voting fraud brought disgrace to the UK's electoral system, with 'ghost voting' and other fraudulent practices being widespread. The judge hearing the trial of the electoral fraud in the 2004 Birmingham by-elections termed the UK a "banana republic" in respect of its postal voting system. The election result was duly voided.